5 Observations: Michigan State battles, falls short vs. No. 10 Illinois
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Michigan State got off to a very slow start offensively, opening the game 3-of-14 from the floor with a pair of turnovers while falling behind 15-8 in the first eight minutes. The Fighting Illini's lead grew to as many as 10 points (26-16), but the Spartans closed the gap to 37-34 by halftime once their offense got going. MSU connected on 12 of their final 22 shot attempts to close out the first frame.
The Spartans carried that momentum into the second half, outscoring Illinois 14-5 in the first six and half minutes after the break to take a 48-42 lead. The Illini had a counterpunch however, going on a 17-4 run of their own to retake the lead and momentum. It was a back and forth battle from there, but ultimately it was Illinois that made enough winning plays down the stretch to send the Spartans to another disappointing defeats.
Here are five observations from tonight's game...
1.) Over-reliance on Tyson Walker
As has been the case all season, Michigan State's offense ran through fifth-year senior Tyson Walker throughout the night. While he's an excellent player, the pressure of having to carry the scoring load for the Spartans night in and night out would be difficult for anyone to manage.
Walker was solid tonight, leading MSU with 18 points on 8-of-17 shooting, but his shooting stroke wasn't there as he went 1-of-7 from 3-point range. Walker's usual defensive excellence wasn't quite as strong tonight either, though that could have been partially due to a bruised shin and turned ankle he suffered in the second half tonight. Regardless, Michigan State is asking an awful lot out of their senior shooting guard, and some night's No. 2 isn't going to be able to bail the Spartans out.
2.) No bench production
Coming into this season, it finally looked like Michigan State was going to have some depth after multiple consecutive seasons where that simply didn't exist in this program. However, due to reasons mostly out of the Spartans' control, that depth has taken a hit.
Sophomore center Jaxon Kohler played just one minute tonight in his second game back after undergoing a foot procedure ahead of the year. It's going to take some time, perhaps a long time if at all, for Kohler to be a steady part of MSU's rotation this season. Michigan State was also dealt a blow when freshman point guard Jeremy Fears was shot in the leg by an assailant while back home over Christmas break, likely ending his season.
Izzo expected to be able to go about 10 players deep this season, but his rotation is practically down to seven at this point, due to the limitations of freshman forward Xavier Booker defensively and on the boards. Throw in the fact that Izzo has been inconsistent with the amount of minutes given to freshman forward Coen Carr, and once again MSU's bench is very short in 2023-24. Tonight, the Spartans bench was outscored 12-4 by the Illini, with Carr providing all four points off the pine for Michigan State.
3.) Shooting woes return
During their recent five-game winning streak, and even in the loss to Northwestern, it appeared that the Spartans had rediscovered their shooting stroke from outside. Unfortunately, at least for tonight, those shooting woes returned against the tough defense of the Fighting Illini.
Michigan State shot 42% from the floor (not bad, but nothing special) but was just 5-of-19 (26%) from 3-point range. We noted Walker's struggles from outside above, but he was far from the only shooter who struggled from distance for the Spartans.
A.J. Hoggard was 1-for-4 from deep, including an ill-advised attempt with four seconds remaining and MSU trailing by three. Izzo and the staff would probably have liked someone other than a career 28.9 percent 3-point shooter taking that final shot. Jaden Akins was 3-of-7 from deep, while Tre Holloman missed his only attempt from outside. Was this just one bad shooting night against a tough defensive team, or are the Spartans regressing from outside again? Time will tell.
4.) Hall bounces back, Sissoko active on glass
After no-showing in Michigan State's last outing, fifth-year senior Malik Hall bounced back with a strong performance tonight. Hall finished with 14 points on 6-of-12 shooting, and added seven rebounds, three assists and a steal. Outside of that game against Northwestern, in which the senior had nothing to show for the 26 minutes he's played, Hall has had a strong stretch of play for the Spartans over the last couple weeks.
As far as MSU's centers, production was tough to come by in the low post but Mady Sissoko did his part on the glass tonight for the Spartans. The senior had 10 rebounds and added four points, a blocked shot and a steal. Michigan State actually outrebounded Illinois — the Big Ten's top rebounding team. That's an encouraging sign, but it won't lessen the frustration of dropping yet another close game against a top opponent.
5.) Worst start to Big Ten play of Izzo's career
This loss drops Michigan State to 1-4 in conference play this season, which is the worst start to a Big Ten season of head coach Tom Izzo's career. We're not sure which is more embarrassing — the fact mentioned above, or the fact that the Spartans are tied with a horrible Michigan Wolverines team for last place in the league right now.
It can't be overstated how shockingly disappointing it is for Michigan State to have a 9-7 record though 16 games after Walker and Akins decided to return and Izzo added a Top 5 recruiting class this offseason. There's a lot of basketball left to be played this season, but the Spartans are staring at a fourth consecutive mediocre season unless things get turned around in a major way soon. This was supposed to be the year in which Michigan State reintroduced itself nationally. Instead, the Spartans are currently one of the most disappointing teams in America midway through January.
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